Penn State Football Stock Up, Stock Down During a Necessary Bye Week

The Nittany Lions are hurting after four straight Big Ten losses, but there have been bright spots.

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chase Sowell (0) runs with the ball against the Michigan Wolverines in the first quarter at Michigan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State lost its fourth game in a row last Saturday at Michigan, a contest that took on a much different script than its previous loss to USC. It was a slow-moving, defense-oriented game for the most part that was headlined by quarterback Rocco Becht’s questionable decision-making. 

Now the Nittany Lions are 0-4 in conference play entering their bye week, a surprising spot considering this was considered a potential playoff team in August. We evaluated whose stock is up and whose is down after Penn State’s latest loss, starting with a wide receiver the program would have dreamed to roster the past two seasons.  

Stock Up: Receiver Chase Sowell

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chase Sowell (0) makes a catch against Michigan cornerback Smith Snowden. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sowell put a struggling Penn State offense on his back Saturday, posting 11 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown in a game where Penn State again labored to score points.  

He became the first Nittany Lions wide receiver to make at least 11 catches in a game since Parker Washington (11 receptions, 179 yards, one touchdown) against Ohio State in 2022. Sowell also became the third wide receiver since 2022 to eclipse the 150-yard mark (Washington, Koby Howard).

Sowell has quickly emerged as one of the Big Ten’s better receivers and the clear No. 1 in Penn State’s lineup without Koby Howard available. He also has significantly boosted his draft stock.

Sowell would have been a welcome addition to a Penn State offense that didn’t have a receiver catch a pass in the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame — and to the 2025 offense that lacked a clear No. 1 for Drew Allar. Penn State also asks what might have been with this version of Sowell and Howard playing a full season together.

Stock Up: Penn State’s cornerback room 

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Audavion Collins (2) breaks up a pass intended for Wisconsin Badgers receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. (13) during the second quarter of the game at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State’s cornerback room could be considered one of the best in the country. And Saturday’s performance against Michigan further proved the point.  

The Wolverines’ quarterbacks combined for just 90 passing yards — somehow just the second-lowest mark against Penn State this season — and two interceptions. Both outside cornerbacks, Daryus Dixson and Audavion Collins, have been the strength of a struggling Penn State team. Slot freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas has been a hidden gem, too. 

He headlined a dominant performance from the corners (separate from the safeties) with a highlight-reel, one-handed interception near the end of the first half. Zayas, tied for the team lead with linebacker Tony Rojas with two interceptions, made The Athletic’s midseason All-Freshman team.

Cornerback has been such a strong position that Penn State moved nickel Zion Tracy to safety full-time against Michigan. And beyond being reliable in coverage, the room has been decent at tackling. Zayas specifically has tackled well. He had a key third-down wrap-up on an island against Michigan on its first drive of the second half. 

Stock Down: Quarterback Rocco Becht

Penn State coach Matt Campbell today on his QB situation:

“We have complete faith in Rocco Becht.”

On backup Alex Manske: “His time will come, and when his time comes, we’ll be excited for that opportunity. But obviously that time is not right now.” pic.twitter.com/5xcWng2AX1

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) October 20, 2026

The most experienced quarterback in college football has had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter in three of four Big Ten games (Wisconsin, USC, Michigan). In fact, he’s had five such drives, not including three chances to put the game away against the Badgers.  

But Becht hasn’t led the offense to scores on any of those drives. Two have resulted in three-and-outs (both against Michigan), and five total if you include the fourth-quarter drives against Wisconsin. Penn State’s coaches advertised Becht as a clutch player whom Penn State could lean on under pressure. He hasn’t been one bit of that in Big Ten play. 

Further, Becht hasn't protected the ball well lately. He has five interceptions (six total turnovers) in the past three games. Against Michigan, his three turnovers led to all 21 of the Wolverines' points.

Becht’s stock hasn’t been lower. Still, all signs point to him starting against Purdue in Week 9.

“We have complete faith in Rocco Becht,” Penn State coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) looks to pass in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stock Down: Running backs not named Carson Hansen

Penn State Nittany Lions running back James Peoples (1) runs the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State is finally starting to find an identity in the run game, Campbell said Tuesday. But that doesn’t bode well for running backs James Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace. Why?

Carson Hansen played 61 of the team’s 80 offensive snaps against Michigan and had 15 of the backs’ 22 carries. Peoples, the closest to him in volume, ran just five times. That implies Hansen has returned to his role as the featured back.  

Still, no one was terribly efficient at Michigan. Hansen led the room with 3.4 yards per carry, while no one else went above 3. It appears the running backs have hit their Big Ten ceiling.

But if Saturday foreshadowed the rest of the season, which it appears to have done, Penn State’s three other backs will have to take a back seat to Hansen.

Penn State returns to action at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 31, when it hosts Purdue for a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff on Big Ten Network. 

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter, follow us on social media and add Penn State on SI as a Preferred Source on Google.